So Far Away
by ThiccAnko
Summary: During the Chuunin Exams, a team of Kumogakure shinobi participates, allowing another Jinchuuriki to be thrown into the mix. Naruto crosses paths with a younger Yugito early in his shinobi career, and only time will tell if it will be for better, or for worse. Rated M for foul language, adult themes and scenes, and violence.
1. Chapter 1: The Forest of Death

A few birds in a clearing were chirping a harmonious tune as seventy-eight genin stood in the northwestern portion of Konohagakure, right near the inner border around the village. The genin squads of three were all shinobi from different villages, and there had been more squads around at the start of the Chuunin Exams. There was originally seventy-two genin from Konohagakure, thirty from Sunagakure, twenty-one from Amegakure, twelve from Kusagakure, twelve from Takigakure, three from Otogakure, and three from Kumogakure. The exams had started out with one hundred and fifty-three students, and now there were seventy-eight. Almost half of the students had failed just from taking the written test.

However, one of the teams that were still in the running to be Chuunin this year was none other than Squad Seven.

The dynamic trio soon walked up to where they were led by some crazy purple-haired proctor for the next step of the Chuunin Exams. The same lady who literally came crashing through the window and gave herself a grand entrance to announce how she's going to be taking over for the next part of the exams. She was what most people considered a total weirdo, as Naruto might say.

The Tokubetsu Jounin wearing fishnet and a trench coat pumped her fist in the air, earning the attention of the genin before her.

"Alright, you snot-nosed brats, welcome to Training Grounds Forty-Four!" Said the woman who introduced herself as Anko Mitarashi, "Otherwise known as The Forest of Death, one of my favorite spots in this village."

Naruto Uzumaki studied his surroundings, noting the barbed wire fence, the large perimeter, and the shadows darkening the inside of the forest, due to the large population of trees occupying the space.

He was sure he even heard a hissing snake somewhere in there.

"This place gives me the creeps." Naruto stated, feeling uneasy.

"I agree." said Sakura Haruno, who was right beside him along with the self-proclaimed avenger, Sasuke Uchiha.

Anko seemed to have heard them and grinned, "You're about to find out just how creepy this place is. It's called The Forest of Death for a reason."

"YOu'Re aBouT To FiND ouT jUsT How CrEePY ThiS plaCE Is. It'S CaLled thE ForEsT oF DeaTH FOr A reaSOn." Naruto mocked, placing his wrists on his hips, and twisting his body on the tips of his toes childishly, "Nice try, lady! I'm not scared of your little forest, and you trying to scare me is only gonna piss me off! I'm gonna win this thing, trust me!"

Anko cocked her head to the side ever so slightly, her grin growing in size and eeriness.

"Looks like we got someone who thinks his balls are bigger than his head." She said with an overly friendly smile, drawing a sharp kunai from out the sleeve of her trench coat. Then, before Naruto could even blink, the kunai zipped right past his face, slicing him deep enough to draw blood immediately.

Then, before the realization of her tossing a kunai had set in, Naruto felt hands on both of his shoulders, as well as someone's breath tickling his ear.

"Your kind is always the first to die." Said Anko, who was now directly behind him, still holding that creepy smile of hers, "I can't wait to see the forest painted red with your precious, rich, warm blood..."

Naruto shuddered when Anko's tongue glided across his cheek, lapping up his leaking blood. The situation freaked him out so much, he was practically frozen in place.

However, Anko's reflexes suddenly kicked in when she felt a presence behind her. She drew another kunai and almost slit the throat of the individual behind her.

"I was returning your kunai." Said the freaky looking Oto-nin with a straw hat behind Anko, who gave her the kunai she threw with her uncomfortably long tongue.

"Hey, thanks." Said Anko politely, "For the record, standing behind me is a quick way to get killed. So why not back up a few feet, huh?"

"My deepest apologies." Said the stranger woman, "I get excited when I see blood. And I already got revved up when the kunai cut a few strands of my hair."

The mysterious woman with long hair and an even longer tongue slowly backed away.

"Whew, we got some real blood-thirsty participants this year." Anko commented, grinning, "Sucks for those who have to clean up the forest after we're done."

Anko then walked back to where she was and proceeded to explain the details of the second exam. Before Naruto could get over the creepy scenario that just played itself out not ten seconds ago, someone walked up next to him. Someone carrying a very subtle aroma of perfume, "Man, there are some real freaks taking this exam..." Mumbled the stranger.

"Tell me about it!" Naruto agreed. He then turned his head to look at the person beside him, and what he saw made him lose focus of everything around him. It was a girl. And not just any girl, but a very pretty girl. Her first noticeable traits were her long and straight blonde hair that was bound in a ponytail by taut bandages. Her eyes were dark and had a prominent shape to them, something similar to a cat's eyes, but not completely. Her face was heart-shaped, and her voice was high pitched, but not overly so. She wore a short-sleeved black and purple blouse and black pants, both with cloud designs on them. On her hands were purple fingerless gloves, as well as a chain of blue beads wrapped around her left hand. She wore the standard Kumogakure hitai-ate, with normal sandals and a kunai holster, which was strapped to her right thigh. She also seemed to wear bandages around her arms and legs as well as a red belt around her waist.

Naruto was never one to pay much attention to a girl's looks, aside from Sakura, however, he was surely taking note of the beauty that the girl before him was emitting.

"If I'm being honest, you do seem to attract a lot of attention to yourself." Said the girl with a small grin. Her eyes seemed playful, somewhat like a cat's when they find a ball of yarn.

Naruto gave her a big nervous smile, rubbing the back if his head, "Haha, yeah... I tend to do that a lot, actually."

"Seems kind of impractical, considering you're a ninja."

"Being impractical is how I became a ninja!" Responded Naruto with a cheesy grin, pointing at himself with his thumb, "I'm actually one of the best ninjas in my village!"

"Oh, is that so?" She asked with a slight roll of her eyes, still grinning, "You're definitely the loudest. Everyone heard your outburst about wanting to be Hokage when we were in the classroom taking the written exam."

Naruto started chuckling, "What can I say? I guess I'm just really confident!"

"Or you just have a really big mouth."

Naruto deadpanned, while a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head. The girl then giggled, and Naruto's embarrassment to her teasing was forgotten about immediately when he heard it.

However, a sharp elbow being rammed into his side disrupted any thoughts Naruto had towards wanting to continue the conversation he was having with this girl that was actually being... friendly to him.

"Hey, Knucklehead! Pay attention, she's explaining what's gonna happen once we enter that forest!" Said Sakura in a loud whisper.

Naruto and the girl both blushed and decided to actually pay attention to Anko. Sakura did have a point after all; Anko was giving them important details. But just as Naruto turned his head to look ahead, he was welcomed with dozens of sheets of paper slamming into his left cheekbone, earning light chuckling among the twenty-five other genin squads around him.

"Yo! Jackass! Pay attention and pass these consent forms around!" Anko commanded, shoving the papers in his face.

"Consent forms?" Naruto repeated, taking one form and passing the others to the girl he just met to pass around.

"If you were listening, you'd have heard that you're supposed to read and sign these consent forms before starting this part of the exams. But before you do, allow me to explain what will go down once you enter this forest." Anko then got in Naruto's face, giving him a very eerie smile, "You paying attention now?"

Naruto gulped, "Y-Yes ma'am..."

"Good!" Exclaimed Anko, "Now let me start by describing the topography of this training ground. Training Ground Number Forty-Four is surrounded by this barbed wire fence, containing forty-four entrance gates along the perimeter. Inside, as you can obviously tell, contains a giant forest, filled with rivers, edible and poisonous plants, and animals that you can hunt and be hunted by. Around ten kilometers from the entrance gates lies a tower directly in the center of the training ground."

The Tokubetsu Jounin then grinned, "This training ground is where your exam will take place, where you will be tested on your survival skills. During this test, anything goes. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, the use of weapons, deceit, and lethal force are all allowed once you enter these gates."

"You mean... people can die during this exam?" Asked Sakura apprehensively.

"Yuh-huh!" Anko replied entirely way too enthusiastically, "It's basically like a to-the-death version of Capture The Flag." Then, two scrolls, both a white one and a black one, was then drawn out of her pockets, "Or in this case, Capture The Scroll. Your objective is to acquire both of these scrolls and bring them with you to the tower I mentioned earlier that was in the middle of this forest."

"Sounds easy enough." Commented Sasuke, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, if only it were that simple." Anko replied. She then scanned the many genin in front of her, "There are seventy-eight of you left, which is twenty-six teams in total. Ibiki is getting soft, and there are more of you here than I expected there to be. It's unexpected, but I came prepared nonetheless. Thirteen teams will start out with a white heaven scroll, and the other thirteen will have a black earth scroll. And it is up to you to figure out how you and your teammates will obtain whichever other scroll you need from the other competing teams."

"So... in other words, only half of us are actually going to pass." Shikamaru Nara stated with an overly annoyed tone.

"Correct! And if you guys think that it's still easy, just know that you also have a time limit!" She said, holding up five fingers, "Five days; one hundred and twenty hours. That's how much time you all have to complete your objective."

"Five days?!" Exclaimed Ino Yamanaka.

"What are we gonna do for food?!" Demanded Chouji Akimichi, who was right next to Ino.

Anko shrugged, "That's a question you're gonna have to ask yourselves, not me. The forest is full of drinkable streams, edible herbs, and huntable animals that you can access to sustain yourselves. But just keep in mind that the forest is also filled will poisonous plants, deadly insects, and killer animals that will probably shit you out by sundown if they get a hold of you."

Most of the genin in the area all started feeling a lot more anxious; most with fear, few with excitement.

"So by that statistic, there's no chance for even half of us to make it." Stated the blonde girl next to Naruto, "Under those circumstances, we'd be lucky if even a quarter of us make it to the next part..."

Naruto didn't respond. All he knew was that these exams weren't going to be as much of a breeze as he thought it'd be.

"All in all," Anko started concluding, "This will give you a taste of what it'd be like to go out on missions that Chuunin are likely to go out on at any given notice. Not only will everyone except your squad be your enemy, but you will have to battle with exposure, exhaustion, dehydration, starvation, infection, and lingering wounds from a potential fight."

Explaining the rundown of this part of the exams was something that probably brought Anko a bit too much satisfaction. A significant amount of genin were looking as though they might even be second-guessing their choice in becoming a shinobi. And it brought Anko all the more joy to explain even more details.

"In addition to that, there are also a number of ways you and your team can get disqualified." She raised one finger, "The first one obviously is if you die. Duh."

She raised a second finger.

"The second one is if you don't make it to the tower in time, if one of your teammates dies, or if you don't obtain both an earth and heaven scroll by the time you arrive at the tower.

She then raised a third finger.

"The third rule is leaving the forest. Once you go in, you can't leave. There are no breaks or recesses until the five days are up. And if you happen to arrive at the tower and succeed in your goal in less than five days, you cannot leave the tower to help out fellow members of your village."

She then placed her hands back in her trench coat pockets, "And the final rule? You are refrained from opening and looking at the contents of your scroll until you complete your objective."

"Well... what if it happens to open on its own or something?" Naruto reluctantly asked.

"If you want to be the only person to find out, then by all means, do so. But I don't think that's something you'd want to risk for yourself or your teammates after I just told you not to, now is it?" Anko said with another entirely too friendly smile, "If any of you manage to make it to Chuunin level, you will be entrusted with important and confidential documents on missions. This will be your test of trustworthiness."

Anko then let out a small huff, "Alright, that's pretty much all you need to know. Once each squad hands in three signed disclaimer forms, you'll receive either an earth or heaven scroll. When you get one, you will be designated to any one of the forty-four entrance gates around the training ground and you will be signaled to go in once everyone is ready. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah!" A kid in the back said, "What if-?"

"NO MORE QUESTIONS!" Anko then gave her sweetest smile and leaned forward, "Also, just as a final piece of advice... try not to die!"

"Great advice." Sighed the blonde Kumo-nin. She then turned to Naruto, "Well, good luck in there, Naruto. I guess we're going to be enemies once we enter that forest."

"I guess so." Naruto nodded. He then blinked and began to wonder about something, "Wait, how did you know my name?"

"You shouted it in the classroom we took our written exam in, remember?" Yugito said with a chuckle, before turning to walk in the other direction, "Well, I gotta go. Hopefully I won't run into you out there!"

"Wait!" Naruto called out, "What's your name?"

The girl stopped walking and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face gracefully, turning her head ever so slightly to look at him out the corner of her eyes.

"Yugito. Yugito Nii." She then gave him a wink, "See ya around, Naruto!"

Naruto could only admire her walking form as she walked back to her team. For whatever reason, he had butterflies in his stomach, "Yeah... see ya."

Naruto then gathered around his team and all seventy-eight genin started to hand in the consent forms, each team receiving either an earth scroll or heaven scroll one by one. Squad Seven received a heaven scroll, and Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all agreed that their primary mission would be to get an earth scroll as soon as humanly possible. They were then instructed to stand in front of an entry point and wait until they were signaled to enter.

Then, before they knew it, they had gotten the signal to begin, with the electric gate lock buzzing, signaling that it was unlocked.

"Alright, guys." Said Sasuke, holding up a fist, "Let's do this! Let's show them that Squad Seven is the best team here!"

"Yeah! It's go time!" Shouted Naruto, bursting through the gates with his friends and teammates, excited for the adventures that lie ahead.


	2. Chapter 2: Yugito's Decision

"This. Is. Bullshit."

As some may know, there are five stages of grief most humans are capable of experiencing. The first one is known as 'denial', where individuals go into a state of shock, unlike the same kind of shock associated with trauma or surprise. This state of shock makes one feel numb and hopeless. Some may say that this first stage is one of the more difficult stages to overcome.

The second stage is 'anger', which is actually a necessary stage to go through in order to recover through the grief cycle. Some people may try to repress the anger they feel as opposed to embracing it, which can lead to suppression of their healing process. Others may fully surrender to their emotions, where people tend to thrash things around or curse anything and anyone out within a ten-foot radius of them.

The third stage known as 'bargaining'. This stage is when people are the most apologetic and desperate. Conversations with a God or a similar entity usually ensues within this stage. This stage can involve many different kinds of desperate deals or bargains being made sporadically, such as 'I will do better as a person if this situation can be reversed' or 'I vow to not eat so much ramen if this huge snake doesn't end up turning me into a pile of feces'.

Fourth, comes a stage known as "depression" immediately after the previous stage. This stage can make things feel even more hopeless than it did in the denial stage, feeling as though the feeling will last forever. Nevertheless, the depression stage is critical to recovery, despite how it can be the lengthiest stage among the five.

Lastly comes what is known as 'acceptance'. It is just as the name implies; accepting the reality of the situation. This is the stage that may shift around the negative emotions tied to whatever unfortunate event the individual may be facing. It is not necessarily being okay with the situation, but rather embracing that what is happening is something that we cannot change. Most people learn to appreciate the good experiences they may have had up until then, before accepting that fate will do what it always does.

This being said, Naruto Uzumaki was currently at the 'anger' stage of the grief cycle.

"Of course I would be the ONLY freakin' ninja to go and pee in the first five minutes of being here, only to get eaten alive by a huge FREAKING SNAKE!" Naruto hollered, thrashing around wildly as he was surrounded by the slimy walls of the inside of a snake's intestines. He had attempted to use his kunai, hoping to cut the snake up from the inside, however, the snake's insides made it physically impossible to move and do any type of proper damage to it.

"I'm supposed to be the Hokage, dammit!" Naruto growled, hating the smells and feelings associated with being eaten alive. It was comparable to the feeling of being stuck inside an overfilled sewer pipe, "Hey Mr. Snake! You listening to me?! You're really screwing up my attempts to be great, y'know that?!"

He hated how he couldn't even see anything. That's what really made the experience truly terrifying. All he could feel was slime and guts squishing him tightly, feeling absolutely dreadful when the organs would push him further down into the depths of the unreasonably large reptile.

Before Naruto could ramble on more about how the situation he was in was an inconvenience to him, he started hearing more muffled exclamations... some that did not belong to him.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" He heard from a feminine voice squeaking, growing closer toward him. If Naruto didn't know any better... he'd notice that the voice was a familiar one.

Then, unexpectedly, something as hard as a skull collided with his own head.

"Ow!" Both Naruto and the feminine voice grunted simultaneously. There was a brief pause between the two individuals until one of them spoke up.

"Hello? Who's there?" Asked the owner of the voice with a cautious tone. Naruto identified the owner of the voice.

"...Yugito?"

"...Naruto?"

There was another brief silence among the two.

"Well, what a surprise running into you here..." Yugito greeted awkwardly, unable to see him or move.

"Yeah... how did you end up here?" He asked.

"Same way you did, I'm assuming." She replied, "Is this what I should be expecting from someone who claims to be one of the best shinobi in this village?"

Naruto grunted at her sarcastic tone, "Hey! You ended up getting eaten by this snake too, ya know!"

"Yeah, but you ended up here first." Said Yugito with a grin that Naruto couldn't see.

"So?!"

"Anyway," She said with a roll of her eyes, "Do you have any plans that involve us getting out of here before we end up getting disolved by this snake's stomach acids?"

"Er... I was working on it before you came along." He answered.

"Ah." Yugito hummed, "So I was right. You do just have a big mouth."

Naruto grit his teeth.

"This is the future Hokage you're talking to, ya know that?!" He shouted, "Show some respect!"

"Respect is earned, Naruto. And so far, all I'm seeing is a lot of talk with nothing to back it up."

"Oh yeah?!" Naruto grunted, bringing his hands together to form a very familiar hand seal, "I'll show you why I'm one of the best in this village! Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

From the outside, the oversized snake that just ate two genin for lunch seemingly started to inflate from the inside. It's stomach quickly started to expand more and more until... the snake popped like a balloon.

Blood, guts, and other miscellaneous organs and tissues began raining onto the forest floor.

Yugito, Naruto, and the hundreds of shadow clones all landed on the ground, right in a pile of the snake's guts, covered in slime, blood, and mucus.

"...This is probably the grossest experience of my entire life." Said Yugito flatly, tossing big lumps of pink and red snake tissue from off of her torso.

Naruto's clones dissapated and the real Naruto pumped his fist in the air, "Ha! Take that! I'll be damned if my career as a shinobi ends at the hands of a giant snake!"

The kunoichi from Kumogakure shook herself off one last time before looking over towards Naruto, "Well, it's good to see that you're not ALL talk."

Naruto looked at the girl and blushed. Even covered in snake guts, she was still pretty. Despite this, Naruto attempted to remain as cool and aloof as possible, even if he did it in a way that made it obvious that he wasn't.

"Yeah, well... it's like I said, I'm one of the best!" he boasted. Yugito gave another eye roll and started to approach Naruto. She stood directly in front of him, and Naruto noticed that they were the exact same height.

"You talk too much." She stated before shoving him down to the ground hard. Not only was Naruto unprepared for Yugito to do this, he noticed how strong she was; she put him on his ass with ease.

"H-Hey, what are you...?" Naruto started to ask before Yugito shoved him again, this time putting him on his back, and squated on top of him. She drew a kunai, pointing it directly at his throat.

"We're enemies, Naruto." Yugito said, lacking the friendly aura that she held before they entered Training Grounds Fourty-Four. Now, her tone was cold and firm, showcasing that her task in these exams overrode any type of compassion she had for Naruto, "Hand over your scroll. I can just kill you now and take it, but that's only something I'll do if you leave me no choice."

The orange jumpsuit wearing genin frowned. He was shocked at how fast he went from thinking she was harmless, to thinking of her as a threat.

"I don't have the scroll." Answered Naruto with a grimace.

"I don't believe you." Yugito told him, pointing the blade closer to his throat, "Hand it over, Naruto. I'm not afraid to kill you."

"I said I don't have it!" Growled Naruto, growing frustrated, "I swear!"

Yugito shook her head, "Even if you don't have it, you're still an enemy. I should probably—"

The other blonde Jinchuuriki was interrupted when her instincts kicked in, as she avoided an attack from one of Naruto's shadow clones from behind. She dodged the clone's tackle and dispelled it with her kunai, all in one swift motion.

Yugito huffed and assumed her previous position, this time pressing the blade of her kunai right across Naruto's jugular, "I should kill you for that alone." She told him darkly, "However, you did get me out of the snake situation, so here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to let you live, _only_ if you take me to your squad and convince them to give me whatever scroll you have."

"What makes you think that my squad will just hand over our scroll?!" Naruto demanded.

"Because they're going to have one of two options; either your squad hands over the scroll and you guys can go in peace, or I kill you and your team gets eliminated from the exams. Even if your squad doesn't give a rat's ass about you personally, you'd make a great bargaining chip considering how your life means the difference between passing or failing this part of the exams for your entire team."

Naruto snarled, however, before he got himself into deeper trouble with his mouth, an idea came to him. Yugito clearly planned on bargaining Naruto's life for the scroll if he were to actually lead her to his team. But from what Naruto could tell, Yugito was separated from the rest of her squad as well. So instead of fighting against her request and making things more difficult for him, why not get the drop on her and take _her_ scroll after he brings her to Sakura and Sasuke? And even if she didn't actually have the scroll in her possession, they could flip her plan on her, have her take them to her squad, and use her life as a bargaining chip. It was a solid plan, in Naruto's mind. However, despite Yugito claiming to not being afraid to kill him, Naruto knew that he couldn't find it in himself to do the same against her. Naruto was not a killer, and he intended on only using such methods as an absolute last resort.

"Fine." Naruto scoffed, feigning defeat, "What makes you think that we have the correct scroll that you need, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter what scroll you actually have. If you have the right one, then obviously my objective will be complete. However, even if you have the same one I have, we can use the extra scroll as a bargaining chip for other teams, as well as simply eliminating other teams from the running." Yugito then yanked Naruto up to his feet by his shirt, "Now walk. Take me to your team."

Naruto grunted as she walked behind him, still holding the kunai to his throat, "I don't even know where my squad is! If you haven't noticed, I've been inside a giant snake for a majority of the time I've been here!"

"Find them." Yugito commanded, "Or else I'll just kill you and do my squad the favor of eliminating some of the competition for the next part of the exams. It's not my ideal situation, but I'll do it if you force me to."

The male Jinchuuriki huffed and simply began walking. For now, his hands were tied. But soon, the odds would work in his favor.

"Alright, alright!" He grunted, "You were a lot nicer before we entered this forest."

"We weren't enemies before we entered this forest." She responded bluntly, pushing him forward, "Move."

* * *

Eventually, Naruto managed to pick up a trail to his team. As Naruto and Yugito jumped on top of a tall tree branch, the male Jinchuuriki spotted his teammates dozens of feet away. Sasuke seemed to be trapped in a corner by another shinobi, one that he was sure looked a lot like the creepy Grass-nin that crept up behind him and Anko prior to entering the gates. Sakura was there as well, practically paralyzed with fear.

Naruto clenched his teeth and turned toward the woman who had a kunai to his back, "My teammates are in trouble! I gotta help them!"

"What makes you think that I should let you?" She asked, spinning her kunai in her hand.

Naruto gritted his teeth and looked back at his team.

Then, for whatever reason, Yugito saw Naruto... grinning.

"You already are."

The female Jinchuuriki followed his gaze, only to see Sasuke tossing his scroll to the opponent, where another Naruto intercepted the scroll.

She snapped her head to the Naruto in front of her, only to witness him poofing into a small cloud.

She grimaced, _"Another clone? At what point did he manage to switch himself out with a clone?"_

Yugito then looked on at the scene happening below here, deciding not to get involved at this point. She figured it would be the wisest decision, seeing as it wouldn't help her to possibly get pinched between two separate teams.

She witnessed Naruto punching his own teammate in the face, causing the black-haired shinobi to fly back and land on another branch.

"What are you doing, loser?!" Demanded Sasuke, who was recovering from his attack, "You're going to screw everything up!"

"What the hell do you think YOU'RE doing?!" Naruto shot back, glaring at Sasuke, "Is this what I should suspect from someone who claims to be better than me?! Someone who just surrenders like some sort of pussy?!"

Sasuke growled, though still quacking in fear of the enemy, "Damn it, Naruto! Get out of here, you're gonna get us killed! We're no match for her!"

Naruto clenched his fist, his breathing getting heavy with anger, "If you don't cut it out, that lady isn't the only person you're gonna have to worry about!" Naruto threatened, "The Sasuke I know doesn't just give up when backed into a corner! Konoha is NOT home to people that just give up, and anyone who was paying attention in the last part of the exams would know that! Now either you change out of that henge and reveal who you really are, or quit acting like a punk, because I'm gonna kick your ass otherwise until the real Sasuke comes out!"

Naruto's words seemed to have hit home, as Sasuke began to seem conflicted. Yugito continued to watching on from a distance, captivated with the situation.

"Well then, this sure is a surprise." Said the Grass-nin, who's body was still oddly wrapped around a thick tree branch, "Sasuke-kun, it seems you'd better show more backbone, otherwise your teammate may finish you off before I can." She commented with a grin.

"I didn't ask you to agree, ya freaky snake lady!" Naruto responded, snapping his neck at his enemy. He then began to charge at her, closing the distance between them.

"Naruto, don't!" Shouted Sasuke, although it fell on deaf ears. Naruto continued to attack the Grass kunoichi, who managed to use a summoning jutsu just in time. A giant snake, even bigger than the one he and Yugito had both been eaten by, appeared in a giant cloud of smoke, and swatted Naruto high into the air. Naruto's backside slammed directly into the bottom of a higher tree branch, knocking the wind out of him, along with a few spots of blood.

 _"That idiot is gonna get himself killed..."_ Thought Yugito, feeling slightly concerned even for her enemy. Then, to her shock, just as he started to plummet into the snake's mouth below him, Naruto turned his body and... punched the snake?

The snake itself was pretty grand in size, and Naruto was the size of an apple by comparison. But Naruto delivered a hard enough blow to where the snake's head got pushed back from it. The boy continued punching the snake, seemingly doing enough damage to keep it at bay. He was growling and grunting with every punch he threw, and it left Yugito to wonder where exactly he got his strength from. After her small tangle with him, she would have thought he was a bit of a wimp.

Her eyes then managed to focus in on his eyes, which was no longer blue, but the exact opposite of the color blue.

 _"What the hell...?! Where is his strength coming from?!"_ Yugito wondered incredulously. She almost forgot about the Grass-nin he was actually fighting, who was riding atop of the head of the snake. Naruto's opponent then blasted him away with a fire jutsu that she breathed out of her mouth, enveloping in a blast of flames. Naruto fell down onto the forest floor, stunned, but not burned.

The Grass Kunoichi seemed to be done with Naruto for now, and commanded her snake to attack the paralyzed Uchiha. However, just as the snake was about to strike it's target, Naruto intercepted the attack by literally blocking the path of the snake with his backside, holding two kunai that was buried into the snake's flesh.

Naruto, though huffing and bleeding from a few spots on his face, looked at Sasuke with a grin, "What's the matter, Sasuke...? You're not scared, are ya?"

Yugito noted his features from afar, and thought Naruto looked... eerily demonic. As if he were possessed.

 _"That chakra he's emitting... it feels... familiar somehow..."_ she thought to herself, feeling an unfamiliar wave of nostalgia. All of her attention was given to Naruto and the situation he was in, a lot more curious about him than she was prior to entering the forest.

The strange kunoichi riding the snake's head then grabbed Naruto by the waist with her tongue, holding him in the air in front of her, before performing the Five-Pronged Seal onto his stomach. Yugito had seen the area on his stomach and saw a seal very similar to the one on her own stomach.

She rubbed the area subconsciously, _"That's a lot like the seal I have that's containing Nibi... is he a Jinchuuriki, too...?!"_

Part of her wanted to intervene for whatever reason. The other part knew it would be wise to stay out of it. On one hand, Naruto did save her from being eaten alive, even though she was sure she could have gotten out of the snake herself eventually. He didn't give off a bad vibe to her, either. He was loud and a goofball, but didn't seem dangerous or precarious in any way. Besides, if he actually was a fellow Jinchuuriki, should she feel compelled to help him out? Is there some sort of unspoken bond between Jinchuuriki that should make them want to support each other?

However, on the other hand, getting involved with shinobi that were from two seperate villages didn't seem wise at all. Technically, she owed him nothing, and he was far from her responsibility. The primary reason she entered the exams was to become a Chuunin and someday attain the title of the first female Raikage. Getting involved with the mess below her just may hinder that.

Yugito seemed to have zoned out for a few minutes, as she missed how the Grass-nin tossed the unconscious Jinchuuriki aside as he was hanging by his jacket on a tree log held up by a kunai that Yugito assumed one of his teammates threw to save him from falling down a hundred feet down to the ground below. The other kid seemed to have gotten some courage and used some impressive shinobi techniques to fight off their attacker. However, it seemed to be futile, and the Grass-nin's neck extended over to Sasuke to bit him in the collarbone, causing the Uchiha to cry out in agony.

And just like that, after saying a few quick remarks to Sasuke and Sakura, the Grass-nin departed from the battle. Yugito was curious as to why the Grass-nin didn't kill them. They were all clearly outmatched, yet they survived, and even still had their scroll.

The ponytailed woman thought to herself as to what she thought her next move should be. All that was left of Naruto's squad was the pink-haired kunoichi who was too terrified to assist her comrades. She seemed weak, from what Yugito thought, and knew that she probably wouldn't give her too much trouble in a fight. Sasuke, who seemed to be pretty skilled himself, passed out from the pain of whatever that kunoichi did to his collar area. Yugito was even sure that all she had to do was threaten Sakura enough and she'd get what she wanted without much retaliation.

Basically, the scroll was practically Yugito's for the taking.

However, she hesitated to jump at the opportunity that presented itself in front of her. For some reason, a part of her was tugging at her, telling her that going through with her plan would be disgraceful. But how could that be the case? It was her mission's objective, after all, and in the world of shinobi, completing your objective was what mattered most. So why was her intuition telling her that the plan was wrong? It didn't make sense.

Yugito watched as the female member on Naruto's team began to cry upon realizing that she was all alone, defenseless. Shinobi are supposed to separate their emotional ties and any sort of sympathy toward the enemy while on duty, yet Yugito couldn't help but feel bad. Naruto and his team seemed like decent people. She couldn't find it in herself to take from those who were already in a desperate situation, even if it was the most ideal situation for her to strike. The scroll could be hers in less than a minute, but could she live with herself for taking candy from a baby? Was that what she should be expected to do as a kunoichi?

Cursing her virtuous moral compass, she came to a decision and hopped off of the tree branch she was spectating from, landing directly in front of Sakura.

Sakura, through her tears, looked at Yugito with a combination of fear, hopelessness, and a false sense of bravery.

"Stay back!" Sakura said, arming herself with a kunai, "Don't come any closer!"

Yugito looked at the other woman and sighed. She internally grumbled something to Kami about expecting to receive good karma for her next move.

"Hey," Said Yugito carefully, raising her hands in a yielding gesture, "I'm not here to cause trouble. I want to help."


	3. Chapter 3: The Sound Trio

"Help?" Sakura asked with a hardened, but confused expression, "Do you really expect me to believe that? What possible reason could you have for wanting to help us?"

Yugito placed her hands on her hips, "Oh, I'm sorry. If you think you can handle both of your teammates being incapacitated while there are seventy-something shinobi out there ready to end your life if they see you, then I can just keep it moving."

Sakura sneered at the other girl's sarcasm, "That's not how I meant it. I'm sure you can understand my skepticism when you're technically included in those seventy-something shinobi."

Yugito admitted to herself that she had a point, "Yeah, well... you guys got your butts kicked pretty bad. And Naruto and your teammate seem like strong people that I'd like to keep around for the next part of the exams." She fronted, hoping that Sakura would buy it. She technically wasn't lying, after all. Naruto and Sasuke both seemed like strong individuals that would offer her enough of a challenge.

Sakura openly showcased her lingering skepticism, "You just said that we got our butts kicked. And you're not even from our village. Why would helping us because you want a good fight be more of a priority over ensuring victory for your team and village? Our villages aren't even allied, and last I checked, you're a part of the only Kumo squad here."

Yugito took a deep breath, _"God, she seems like such a know-it-all."_

"I can still leave, y'know. If you think rejecting my help and tending to your teammates by yourself would be smarter than trusting that I'm not trying to harm you guys, then by all means, do what you feel is best."

Sakura looked at both of her teammates again, clearly struggling with what to do. This random Kumogakure kunoichi comes out of nowhere after Naruto and Sasuke become incapacitated, and offers to help her at no cost? That sounded an awful lot like a trap, in Sakura's opinion.

However... could she really count on herself to defend her teammates alone? If any shinobi were to find her, it likely would mean death for everyone on her team. Sakura just wasn't the 'go in and fight' kind of kunoichi. She, by all means, could muster up a few tricks up her sleeves, but would it be enough to defend her precious teammates? Against dozens of other shinobi who would want their blood?

Yugito did seem sincere, after all. And if her memory could serve correct, this was the same kunoichi Naruto was chatting with at the beginning of Anko's explanation of this part of the exams. Could she be an ally? Or was it all just a facade?

Sakura Haruno decided to roll the dice and go against her doubtful instincts, "O-Okay. But don't think that I'm just going to hand over my scroll for helping me or anything! You'll have to kill me first!" Sakura boldly stated, not without a hint of reluctancy.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. If I wanted your scroll, I'd already have it." The Kumo nin stated with an eye roll, not to be condescending, but to give her the hard truth, "You're the only one left on your squad, and no offense, I'm pretty sure I could take you in a fight. So trust me when I say that I'm just trying to help."

Though slightly offended by Yugito pointing out that she didn't think she'd pose a real threat, Sakura finally understood the practicality of the situation. One should never completely trust a stranger, yes, but there are times when shinobi must play with the cards dealt to them and hope for the best.

"Alright, fine."

* * *

Yugito and Sakura both hauled Naruto and Sasuke away to a desolate area, one with a large and hollowed out tree casing that provided adequate shelter. Sakura laid her teammates down on their backs side by side, with cold and wet towelettes placed on their foreheads. Sasuke in particular was burning up with a high fever, sweating profusedly and gritting his teeth despite how he was barely conscious.

Yugito sat down and looked at the poor girl who was looking at her teammates with worry. She felt bad for the girl. Granted, Yugito herself was without her teammates as well, but at least she was a skilled ninja with a special trump card. Sakura... didn't seem like she had much going for her.

"I think they'll be alright." Said Yugito, "Well, I don't know about him. I'm unsure of what's going on with him." She added, pointing at Sasuke.

"That's what worries me..." Sakura admitted, "I don't know what that Grass ninja did to him, but... I have to do what I can to help."

"You certainly have guts. Like I said, you don't seem like you'd be very skilled when it comes to fighting, but I respect your determination to help your teammates. I know shinobi that would have just abandoned them." Said Yugito with a small shrug.

"I'd never abandon Sasuke or Naruto." Sakura said firmly, still looking at them, "We're a team. And they're my friends. They've had my back a quite a few times now, so I can at least try to do the same for them."

Yugito nodded, feeling better about her decision in helping them. If nothing else, it made her feel good to help out shinobi who wouldn't turn their backs on their comrades.

"What's your name?" Yugito asked.

The pinkette turned her head to look at her, "Oh, um, Sakura Haruno. What's yours?"

"Yugito Nii."

"That's a pretty name." Complimented Sakura with a small but friendly smile.

This made Yugito smile a bit as well, "Thanks. So is yours."

The two girls with two unconscious boys in between them both became silent for a while before Sakura's curiosity broke the silence.

"Not to sound rude or ungrateful, but... you already helped me out. Why are you still here?"

Yugito gave a short chuckle, "Not enjoying the company?" She asked sarcastically before putting her hand up to silence whatever defensive reply Sakura was going to give, "Just kidding. I'm still here because I don't know where my squad is. And I don't think it'd be wise to go out looking for them in broad daylight alone when I could possibly run into a squad of three by myself."

"Good point." Sakura admitted, "By the way, how do you know Naruto?"

"Who said that I knew him?" Asked Yugito.

"Well, you did when you offered to help. You knew Naruto's name. And I remember you talking to him when we were outside this forest." She recalled.

Yugito nodded, "I understand how it can seem like I know him, but I just met him prior to this part of the exams." She stated, intentionally withholding the fact that she tried to hold Naruto captive about an hour ago.

"What would make you want to talk to Naruto?" Sakura asked with a quizzical expression, "Naruto is annoying and has way too much energy."

"Well, I certainly agree there." Yugito said with a small laugh, "I don't know. When I heard Naruto give his speech during the written exam about him wanting to be Hokage and how he wouldn't let anything stop him from that, I have to admit that I respected that. Mainly because I want to become Raikage myself someday."

Sakura looked at Yugito and nodded slowly, "Yeah... Despite Naruto being a baka more times than not, he does have something about him that inspires those around him. Me included." Sakura admitted.

"Yeah. I'm sure he's the reason why that proctor was saying that more of us passed than expected. I don't think the exam was too easy, I think that he helped everyone remaining in that classroom keep their nerve, even people that weren't from your village." Yugito responded. Sakura was forced to agree, "Besides, between you and me, I think he's kinda cute."

The Cherry Blossom's head snapped toward the other girl and looked at her as if she blurted out complete gibberish, "Naruto? Cute?"

Yugito smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "There's just something about him. I think it might be his little whisker marks. Or maybe his eyes."

Sakura was unsure of how to respond to that. All she knew was that she couldn't find it in herself to necessarily agree. At least not while Sasuke was right next to him as a comparison, "Well... you're on your own with that one. My eyes will always fall onto Sasuke-kun." She claimed, looking at the dark haired boy with loving but concerned eyes.

"Yeah, I could tell by how you've been looking at him for about seventy percent of our conversation." Said Yugito with a small teasing grin. The pinkette blushed slightly in response, but continued staring at the boy, "And no offense, but I wasn't impressed with how he tried to give up your scroll to the enemy because he was cornered. I can't say that I wouldn't have punched my teammate like Naruto did to him if I saw my teammate just giving up like that."

Sakura wanted to retaliate against what she said, or at least provide an excuse for Sasuke, but she found couldn't do either of these things. Even Sakura herself was unimpressed with Sasuke's behavior. At least up until Naruto almost literally smacked some sense into him.

"I've never seen Sasuke act like that..." Mumbled Sakura, "Usually he's so cool and confident... And to see him so frazzled and shaken up like that was something that just isn't like him..."

Yugito shrugged, "Well, that's just my first impression of him. He seemed to be pretty talented toward then end, though. Even if he still ended up getting his butt kicked."

Sakura didn't respond, as she got too caught up in her own head. She began to wonder who this Orochimaru character was... and what he wanted with Sasuke. She remember what that "Grass nin" told her prior to leaving them alone. And obviously this Orochimaru person had something to due with that mark on the back of Sasuke's neck. Something was amiss, and Sakura did not like it one bit.

* * *

 ** _*Ten Hours Later*_**

Sakura and Yugito had spent their time recovering and waiting for either Sasuke or Naruto to wake up. However, after a couple of hours, Yugito noticed Sakura nodding in and out of sleep. Yugito had recommended that Sakura get some rest, since she wouldn't be a very useful kunoichi if she was sleep deprived. Sakura initially argued against this, claiming that she still did not trust Yugito to watch over her and her teammates. Yugito countered by repeating the fact that if she truly had any ill intention, she would have done it by now, instead of wasting not only their time by holding up a facade, but wasting her own. Sakura reluctantly found the logic sound and ended up dozing off.

Yugito, on the other hand, was able to regulate her chakra and energy well enough to be able to put her body into a form of 'energy-saving mode' through meditation, where all she had to do was sit completely still with closed eyes and partially disconnect her mind from the outside world while still being aware of her immediate surroundings. This allowed her to be alert if someone was approaching, without feeling the debilitation of having to shift out of her sleep cycles. This also allowed her to simultaneously conserve not only her physical energy, but her mental energy, too. Performing this was no easy task for ordinary shinobi. In fact, for some, it's just downright impossible. But as container of the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, she was able to perfect the art of meditation and chakra control to a level that most would never be able to, no matter how hard they may try.

However, just as the early morning birds began to chirp as the sun rose, she heard three figures approaching her location. Yugito opened one eye with a scowl, placing a hand on her kunai.

"Come on out. We know you're in there." A male voice called from beyond the hollowed tree casing she was in. The blonde Jinchuuriki looked at the three unconscious Leaf-nin around her, and made a decision to at least drive off whoever it was outside. Yugito herself was at least still at full energy. Naruto and his team? They were hanging on by a thread. If something were to happen to them that was outside of her control, she wouldn't necessarily feel bad. But her curiosity in Naruto and his possibility of being a Jinchuuriki like her made her want to do what she could so that she could learn more about him, without endangering her own life in the process.

Yugito stepped out of the tree casing, approaching the three Sound Village shinobi approximately ten meters away. The one in the middle looked a lot like a wrapped up mummy, with one eye exposed, and the rest of his face and head hidden by bandages. The one to his left was another male with tall spiky hair, holding a smirk that made Yugito immediately want to smack it off his face. And the last one was a kunoichi with straight black hair that was long enough to reach down to the back of her knees. She held a scowl that let Yugito know that her and the rest of her squad was not here for shits and giggles.

"Okay, you got me." Yugito said, playing it aloof by playfully raising her hands, "If you want my scroll, then I guess I have to take all three of you on, huh?"

"Wrong." Said the boy with bandages on his face, "You can keep your scroll and your life. It's not you we want. Wake up the boy with black hair in there so we can fight him."

Yugito raised an eyebrow. What could they want from Sasuke that would be more important than taking her scroll?

"Well, he's out of commission right now. He's not exactly in the best position to fight." Yugito said.

"Maybe you didn't hear Dosu the first time, so I'll say it this time." Grunted the female ninja, crossing her arms, "Wake Sasuke up. Don't make us do it ourselves."

"You guys are being awful rude." Said Yugito with a frown, "Care to explain why you want to fight him so bad?"

"Care to shut the hell up and do as we say?" Barked the Sound-nin with long spiky hair, giving her an aggressive scowl, "We're not repeating ourselves again, so take your chance to leave now. Unless you want to be a dumb bitch and get yourself killed."

Yugito narrowed her eyes. She didn't appreciate the namecalling.

"Why are you even defending Leaf-nin anyway?" Asked the kunoichi, "You're from Kumo. What could you possibly gain from helping out three twerps that aren't even allied to your village?"

"I truly don't enjoy how rude you all are being." Stated Yugito, tensing her body some to get ready for battle, "I get that we're technically enemies, but there's no need for the verbal hostility."

Zaku grit his teeth due to how annoying Yugito was being before chuckling darkly, "Looks like the bitch doesn't listen and wants to die. Kin, you'd better teach her a lesson before I do, because I don't care for going easy on girls."

Kin gave the girl a challenging grin, "My pleasure. I'd love to rip that ponytail out her head."

Kin Tsuchi began approaching the other girl, and Yugito scoffed, shaking her head.

"You're gonna let her fight me one-on-one in a cat fight?" Yugito then flexed her hands and focused her chakra into them. Her nails grew in length and thickness, turning them into razor sharp claws, "Wrong move. I excel at cat fights."

Kin made the first move and drew three senbon between her fingers from her pouch and tossed them at Yugito at high speeds. Yugito easily dodged the pointed weapons, as they bore into the tree behind her. Yugito noticed how there were bells attached to the senbon, making a mental note that there was probably something to it that she should watch out for.

Yugito went in for a counter attack and lunged at Kin at speeds that would make one question if she was at a rank higher than genin. The Jinchuuriki appeared to dart right for her, before appearing directly above the other kunoichi with her claws ready to rip into her attacker. Kin was shocked at her speed and barely had enough time to avoid her attack, stepping back to gain some distance between each other.

"You're fast." Complimented Kin, drawing more senbon, "Too bad your speed isn't going to be effective against my jutsu."

Then, as Yugito heard the ringing of the bells attached to the senbon earlier, she fell to her knees as the ringing of the bells distressed her ear drum, even though the noise was not loud at all. Yugito clenched her teeth, as she struggled to keep an eye on her opponent, and was even more surprised when she began to see copies of the grinning Sound-nin.

"You should have left when you had the chance." Kin stated, cocking her hand back to throw more senbon at the Kumo-nin's vitals, "Weaklings like you have no place in getting involved in matters that don't pertain to you. Now die!"

Kin threw the senbon, and Yugito found it difficult to move with Kin's technique still in effect. The senbon were about to hit its target, until the sharp needle-like weapons got deflected by a kunai mid-air.

"What?!" Kin grunted, before her reflexes commanded her to move out of the way by a barrage of kunai thrown at her from the air. Kin found the source of these kunai, to see a pink-haired kunoichi in the air coming at her with an aerial attack.

The black haired girl was about to mention something about more weaklings joining the fray, until a clawed hand ripping three gashes into the skin of her face was brought to her attention. Kin flew back in response, scowling at Yugito who effectively landed the first blow.

Kin had not forgotten about Sakura's aerial attack, as she tossed more senbon at the Leaf-nin mid-air, effectively hitting her target. She grinned as her weapons bore into the flesh of the other girl, only to frown when she saw the girl poof into a tree log via a substitution jutsu.

By the time that Kin realized that Sakura had distracted her enough with a basic shinobi technique to throw another kunai at her, it was already too late to dodge it. Kin took the metal blades to her arm, as blood began to not only drip from that wound, but from her face due to Yugito's attack as well.

As Sakura landed next to Yugito, Kin clenched her teeth at the two girls before glaring at her teammates, "You two can clearly see that I'm getting double teamed here! Why don't at least one of you help me out?!"

Zaku only chuckled in response, "What's wrong, Kin? Can't bite off more than you can chew?" Teased the other Sound-nin.

"Seems like it." Commented Yugito, grinning, "If you think that this girl and her low-level genjutsu is all it'll take to do me in, you're awfully mistaken." She then looked at Sakura, "I appreciate the backup, by the way."

Sakura nodded, grinning herself, "Hey, you're doing right by us, so I can at least try to return the favor."

Dosu looked on at the events taking place and shook his head, "Seems to me like they're going to be more trouble than we thought. We should end this fast to conserve our chakra and energy for our fight with Sasuke. Come on, Zaku."

Zaku nodded and just as the two boys stepped in beside their injured teammate, Sakura scowled at their opponents, "What do you want with Sasuke?! I know you guys have something to do with Orochimaru and the mark on his neck!"

The three Oto-nin looked shocked at how much this girl knew of the plan, "How could she possibly know about that?" Dosu asked his two teammates.

Kin growled, yanking the kunai out of her arm, "Don't know, don't care. All I know is we better just kill them before they get too problematic! They know too much, anyway!"

"Agreed." Nodded Zaku, getting his sound wave jutsu ready, "Let's make this quick then!"

The trio were then about to charge at the kunoichi duo, until a large poof of smoke appeared in front of both Sakura and Yugito.

"Not so fast."

Sakura's eyes widened as she saw who it was that appeared in between her and her opponents.

Yugito grinned, "About time you both showed up. I was beginning to wonder if you guys were ever going to find me."

In front of both Yugito and Sakura stood two individuals that had their arms crossed, facing the enemy. The one on the left was a young, dark-skinned shinobi with short white hair, holding a lollipop in his mouth. His dark-colored eyes were prominent, but held somewhat of a bored expression as he analyzed the competition in front of him. He wore a dark outfit consisting of a long-sleeved shirt with a hood with a Kumogakure flak jacket and black pants, along with standard shinobi sandals. He was equipped with red hand guards, metallic shin guards, and a black Kumogakure hitai-ate. A long thin sword was also equipped to his back, the sheath to his sword matching the color of his red hand guards.

The shinobi on the right was a dark-skinned kunoichi, one with bright red hair and dazzling honey-colored eyes. She wore a long but short-sleeved battle dress with frilled edges that matched the color of her teammate's attire. She was equipped with a Kumogakure flak jacket as well, and wore thigh high combat boots with fishnet stockings, that was only fully exposed when the partition of the front of her battle dress allowed it. She had a sword equipped behind her as well, holding the hilt of it loosely in a manner that showed she was ready for combat at any moment. She was analyzing the Sound-nin in front of her with a self-assured expression, as if she thought her opponents were no more of a threat to her than a child in the academy.

"Hey, you're the one who disappeared out of nowhere." Said the male Kumo-nin, still seeming slightly bored, "You're lucky Karui was able to pick up after your trail."

"How did you even manage to get eaten by a snake, anyway?" Asked the women who identified as Karui, "It's not like you to get caught off guard, Yugito."

Yugito smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, "Aha, well... the snake crept up on me while I was using the bathroom, so..."

Karui shook her head, "This is why I told you to go before coming in here."

"You tell me a lot of things that I probably should do, but don't." Yugito admitted with a small smile and shrug, making both her teammates shake their heads at her, "Try not to sound so disappointed in me, guys."

"Sometimes that's easier said than done." Sighed Omoi. Team Dosu, who was caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of Yugito's teammates, began to talk amongst themselves as to what their next move should be. However, before any more battling continued, everyone was interrupted when they felt a sudden wave of... evil chakra.

Team Dosu, Yugito's squad, and Sakura all looked back at the tree casing where Sasuke and Naruto were resting. That was the source of the ominous chakra. All seven genin saw Sasuke walking out of the tree, his eyes locked on Team Dosu.

"Sakura." Sasuke called without looking at her. He had black markings all over half of his body, holding a dangerous and eerie aura to his demeanor, "Are these guys trying to pick a fight with us?"

Sakura could only look at him in shock. Even the Kumo-nin were surprised to see that he wasn't even acknowledging them.

"Finally, he's woken up." Said Dosu.

Zaku started laughing condescendingly, "Yeah, I guess you can say we are. And it's you in particular we want to fight."

Sasuke grinned darkly, something that sent a chill up Sakura's spine.

"You want to fight me?" Sasuke opened his eyes wider, revealing his two-tomoe Sharingan eyes to his opposers, "Well then, lets fight!"

Zaku grinned, while Kin and Dosu began to worry. Sasuke's chakra felt... intense. They haven't felt anything like it before.

Sasuke charged at him, and Zaku readied himself.

"Zaku, don't!" Dosu tried to warn his partner, though it were too late. Sasuke closed the distance between them fairly fast, and Zaku aimed the center of his palms out toward his enemy.

"Supersonic Air-Slice!" Shouted Zaku before manipulating sound waves and the air pressure to form a massive explosion aimed for Sasuke. Sand and dirt flew about the premises, blinding everyone in the area.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted as the dust settled, unable to find her teammate after the explosion. Zaku grinned victoriously before hearing:

"Over here." Sasuke called from behind him before bashing his forearm into the side of Zaku's skull. Due to Sasuke's increased strength, Zaku was sent rolling meters away. The boy from The Hidden Sound Village managed to recover and catch his footing and prepared for a counter attack, until he was met with fire blasts coming his way. Hastily, Zaku used his sound wave technique to blast the flames away, only to find that there were well over a dozen shuriken hidden within the flames. Zaku gasped as he only had enough time for one option; brace himself and take the attack.

As the barrage of shuriken began to tear away at Zaku's flesh, Sasuke used his enhanced speed to grab Zaku from behind, holding his wrists behind his back while pushing his foot against his spine.

"You seem pretty... _attached_ to these arms of yours." Sasuke stated in a tone that gave many people in the area a bad feeling in the pit of their stomachs, "I don't think you'll be as attached to them after I get done with you."

"N-No...!" Zaku pleaded, realizing exactly what it was that Sasuke intended on doing to him, "P-Please don- AAAGHH!"

The only thing in the area that was as loud as Zaku's screams of pain was the ripping and crackling noises of his shoulders being torn from its sockets. The sound made many of the shinobi wince, and the others were left bug-eyed at how ruthless Sasuke treated his opponent.

Sakura, on the other hand, felt as though she were having a nightmare. This Sasuke with markings all over him... it wasn't anything like the Sasuke she knew. This one seemed ruthless, almost bloodthirsty.

Zaku fell to the floor, screaming and groaning in agony, while Sasuke's eyes fell onto Dosu and Kin. The pair jumped as his leer landed on them.

"Now it's your turn."

Kin and Dosu both began to backstep as Sasuke marched over to them, fearing for their lives. This kid was fast, powerful, and deadly. They did not want to end up like Zaku by any means necessary.

As Dosu and Kin both began to plead for their lives, Sakura watched the events transpire until a cold tear left her eye. She had to do something. This Sasuke was not the one she knew, and definitely not the one that she loved.

"Sasuke, stop!"

Sakura charged for Sasuke and enveloped him in a hug from behind. Everything fell quiet as Sakura could only plead for him to stop what he was doing.

This seemed to stop Sasuke in his tracks.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke's markings slowly began to receed back into the mark on his neck.


	4. Chapter 4: Chuunin Exam Prelims Pt 1

Sasuke fell onto his posterior, as the use of his Curse Mark gave him a feeling of overexertion. Sakura was right there behind him, ready to help him at a moment's notice.

Dosu breathed a sigh of relief, while Kin grit her teeth, "He's weakened! We should kill them n-!"

"Shut it, Kin." Dosu hushed her before reaching into his pocket and extending an earth scroll to them, "As reparation for your troubles, please take our scroll and spare us, Sasuke. You are indeed a powerful shinobi."

Everyone was shocked by Dosu's action's, including his teammate, "Dosu, what are you doing?!"

"Surviving." Dosu replied, "Don't you see the situation we're in? Just because the effects of the Curse Mark on Sasuke have receded for now doesn't mean it can't come back. Not only that, but we're clearly outnumbered; five against three. Well, two and a half." He said, looking at the grunting Zaku before sending her a hardened glare, "Now I suggest you think about what I'm saying and zip it before you get us killed. Stick to the plan."

Kin grit her teeth, but knew that Dosu was right and nodded.

Dosu looked at Sasuke tossed the scroll to him, which Sasuke caught. Dosu picked up their groaning teammate with disabled arms and nodded at Kin for them to start taking their leave.

"We'll be leaving now. You may have the upper hand now, but we'll see how things go in the next part of the exams. Until then."

And with that, the three Sound-nin were gone.

This left the area occupied by three Kumo-nin and two Konoha-nin, who were awkwardly silent for a bit once the opposers left.

"Well, that was interesting." Karui was the first one to speak up, "I'm not quite sure what just happened."

"Me neither." Omoi agreed, before squinting his eyes slightly, "All I know is that these Konoha-nin now have one of each scroll. We still need a heaven scroll."

Sakura and Sasuke both tensed up once Karui and Omoi both laid eyes on them, placing their hands on the hilts of their swords.

Yugito saw the rising conflict and made a quick decision.

"Never mind them, guys. We can get a scroll from another squad." She said. Karui looked at Yugito as if she had three heads atop of her shoulders.

"You do know that we're supposed to be taking their scroll, right? In order to become Chuunin?" Asked the redhead, "Please explain to me why you think it's a good idea to stop us from doing so."

Yugito looked back at Sasuke and Sakura, who were both not feeling at the top of their game. Yugito shook her head and looked back at her two teammates.

"Well, for one, I'm sure you felt that Sasuke guy's chakra. We may be able to take them, but I have a feeling it won't be without a price." The Jinchuuriki stated, "There's that, and the fact that there are two other Konoha squads in the area watching us right now, and I'm sure if we were to attack them, we'd have six other people to worry about. We're better off finding a different squad."

Sasuke and Sakura both looked at each other, confused.

"And you're sure about that?" Omoi asked for confirmation. Yugito nodded, which made her teammates let go of their weapons.

"Fine." Scoffed Karui, "Let's hurry up and go then. The faster we get a heaven scroll, the better."

With one final look thrown at the two members of Team Seven, both Karui and Omoi both propelled themselves onto tree branches, exiting the area. Yugito was about to follow suit, until...

"Hey!" Sakura called to the blonde, making her turn around, "Thank you, Yugito." She said, looking her right in the eyes. Yugito didn't reply instantly, but grinned after a thought or two passed her mind.

"Don't thank me just yet." She replied, "We're still technically enemies."

With that, Yugito left.

"Who... were those guys?" Sasuke asked, struggling to get on his feet.

Sakura didn't give Sasuke a response. She wasn't even sure how to answer that question. All she could do was wonder why Yugito helped them as much as she did. She wasn't going to question it too much, however, as she was just glad things had turned out the way that it had, and not the way it could have turned out.

Suddenly, both Squads Nine and Ten had jumped down from their respective tree branches, greeting Team Seven.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?!" Shouted Lee, rushing over to his precious Cherry Blossom. Though shaken up, Sakura assured the green jumpsuit-wearing Taijutsu master that she was just fine.

Shikamaru and Chouji had walked over to Naruto, poking and kicking the unconscious boy in feeble attempts to wake him up. Ino had rushed over to where Sakura and Sasuke were, obviously concerned about Sasuke more than anyone. Tenten had followed behind, simply to potentially stop Lee from being too... 'Lee-like'.

Lastly, Neji stood a good distance away from all of them, his eyes set solely on the Uchiha that displayed such an immense amount of power not ten minutes ago.

* * *

"So... let's get something straight." The male shinobi from Team Samui started, looking at Yugito with a very unentertained look, "You can detect when six other shinobi are hidden around us within a twenty-yard radius, but you can't detect a giant snake creeping up on you?"

"I was peeing!" Yugito defended, "Geez, cut me some slack."

"You've done enough slacking for the three of us." Karui said with a roll of her eyes, "And what exactly were you doing fighting alongside Konoha-nin? You do know that they're not only our enemies when it comes to the Chuunin Exams, but they're also not exactly Kumo's allies, right?"

Yugito sighed internally. She knew that her teammates would interrogate her on her actions at their first opportunity.

"Trust me when I say that it wasn't something I wanted to do." Yugito said, deciding to be vague, "I was caught in a tough situation and had to make some quick decisions until you guys finally found me."

Karui nodded, but still felt a bit skeptical about the situation. She decided to leave the matter alone, however, seeing as it wasn't particularly relevant to their current situation anymore. Omoi had very similar feelings, but he simply thought it'd be best to mind his business. It was usually his most preferred way of handling situations when things didn't address him directly.

"Well, just be careful." Karui told her, "Just because you have the Two-Tails doesn't mean that it can always get you out of trouble."

"Yeah, that's what teammates are for!" She said with a big cheesy smile. Both of her teammates simply rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

* * *

 ***Thirty-Six Hours Later***

Twenty-four genin across various villages stood proudly as they were still in the running to becoming Chuunin. The room they were in was large in size, and had two high balconies with railings on either side. In front of the room was a statue of two hands forming the basic shinobi hand seal, standing up at about seventy feet tall. In front of the genin teams were all of their Jounin team leaders, as well as a few Chuunin and even the Third Hokage himself. Many of the genin were either roughed up or had signs of exhaustion, seeing as three days in a deadly forest would wear out anyone of their caliber. The only team that was not in that condition, however, was a Sunagakure squad that included a boy with red hair, a symbol that said "love" on his forehead, and a giant gourd on his back.

Team Seven had continued their adventures in The Forest of Death without too much trouble. In their journey, the trio had run into Kabuto, who had helped them along their path for whatever strange reason. The team allowed this, seeing as he didn't seem to be a threat to them, and was grateful for all of his help getting to this point. Oddly enough, though, when they were told that there would be preliminaries being held due to a large number of applicants still in the running, he forfeited, claiming that he was not in good enough shape to continue. Kabuto's teammates had even followed, having lasting wounds that nearly incapacitated them from their tangle with a certain Kumogakure squad. They managed to find replacing scrolls to get there, however, if preliminaries were being held, they figure its best to cut their losses. Orochimaru allowed this, seeing as he could find a use for that team later.

Next to Naruto's team was none other than Team Samui, as they managed to take a heaven scroll from an unsuspecting team of 'Konoha' shinobi after departing from the fight that Yugito engaged in with Sakura. The exams didn't seem to be too difficult for the Kumo trio, and Yugito herself was glad that Naruto's team had succeeded as well.

After Kabuto and his team had walked away, Sakura looked at Sasuke who was clutching at the mark Orochimaru placed on his collar area. She pleaded for Sasuke to forfeit too, considering how much pain he was in. Sasuke insisted that she keep her mouth shut, and not worry about him. He explained how these exams meant much more to him than a promotion, and that he's in it to test his strength against the best in the room they were in, making sure to mention to Naruto that he was included in that list of people.

The Jounin instructors picked up on Sasuke's condition, and while Anko insisted that he be pulled from the exams, she was overruled by Kakashi and the Hokage. Anko herself had just finished tangling with Orochimaru, almost succeeding in killing him before he managed to pull a fast one on her. She was ready to kill herself if it meant that he'd be going with her, and the fact that he's still out there somewhere made her very uneasy.

Little did she know, he was a lot closer to her than she thought. A sound Jounin squad leader smirked as they overheard their conversation, excited at the events that were about to unfold. The unknown 'shinobi' sent a look towards Team Dosu, instilling it in them to keep things according to plan.

A female Jounin, one with a blonde bob cut, looked on at the small number of Jounin whispering with the Hokage and squinted her eyes. Samui, the leader of the one remaining Kumogakure squad known as Team Samui, wondered what was going on with the Uchiha genin, and why the other Konoha-nin seemed to be concerned about him. She crossed her arms and continued waiting for things to get started, making a mental note to keep an eye out for that kid.

The shinobi that served as the referee for the next part of the one-on-one preliminaries coughed and began to explain how there will be nine rounds, considering how there was now an odd number of twenty-one shinobi left.

"Now... *cough* this will be a no-holds-barred form of combat, and that the combatants will be instructed to fight until one of them gives up, falls unconscious, or dies." Hayate Gekko informed them, "If you feel yourself becoming overpowered and are walking the path of defeat, it's best to surrender if you value your lives. Since we don't particularly want a bloodbath *cough* on our hands, the spectating Jounin and I will be instructed to intervene if we feel that there is an undisputed winner. Don't *cough* count on that, though. There's still a chance you can die if you're too stubborn."

Naruto Uzumaki looked over at Team Samui, interested upon seeing that Yugito made it. Naruto had swapped himself with a shadow clone at just the right time after they tangled in The Forest of Death, and went to go help out his teammates prior to the shadow clone leading her to them. Naruto had almost decided to lead her astray, but his plan in reversing Yugito's hostage attempt spoke louder, despite how things did not go according to his plan regardless.

Yugito noticed Naruto staring at her, and sent a challenging grin his way. Naruto responded in kind, eager to see if he'd be up against Yugito in the preliminaries, or at any point in the future. The possibility of death was something that made Naruto a bit anxious, but his sense of self-assurance overrode that quickly.

Everyone's attention was then brought to an opening panel on the wall that revealed a large electric scoreboard.

"Your names will be randomly selected on this screen to decide who the two combatants will be each round." Hayate stated, taking another puff of his cigarette, "Since there are twenty-one of you, there will be ten matches, and one of you lucky genin will be able to skip the prelims and move on to the next stage after the ten matches are up if your name has not been selected. Other than that, that's pretty much all I have to say. The first two opponents will be selected *cough* now."

Everyone's attention was paid to the screen as it began to quickly flip through the names of all twenty-one genin. Almost everyone in the area was either nervous, excited, or anxious, though a handful seemed passive and uninterested. A majority of the young shinobi had one or a few people in their mind that they'd like to go up against, and quite a few of them had others that they wanted to avoid. A lot of these shinobi were tired, beaten down, and in need of a break, but they refused to let that stop them from ranking up. This was their opportunity to put their skills to the test, and prove to everyone around that they deserve the title of Chuunin.

A few agonizing seconds later, the names of the shinobi fighting for the first round were displayed:

 _Kiba Inuzuka_

 _v_ _s._

 _Dosu Kinuta_

"Alright!" Kiba barked, pumping his fist into the air, "Looks like I get to be the opening act!"

Dosu looked on at the loud-mouthed dog boy he'd be up against and shook his head, "This will be easy. I almost wish that I'd get more of a challenge."

Hayate stepped forward, "Alright, everyone but the named combatants will have to exit the area and spectate along the balconies on either side of the room. The two named individuals, please *cough* step forward."

Every Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin, except for Kiba and Dosu, left the area and went to their instructed locations. Team Seven, Team Eight, Team Samui, and Team Ten, with their respected Jounin leaders, went over to the eastern balcony. Team Nine, Team Dosu, and The Three Sand Siblings went over to the western balcony. The proctor, Dosu, Kiba, and his fighting companion Akamaru were the remaining individuals left in the middle of the room, and Kiba had readied himself into a fighting stance.

On the balcony, Shino looked on and shook his head, "Kiba won't be becoming Chuunin this year." He said stoically.

Hinata looked at her teammate, "Wh-What? What makes you say that, Shino?"

The bug master adjusted his glasses, "Do you remember what Dosu did to that Kabuto kid with the silver hair? His moves are sound-based. With Kiba having traits comparable to a canine, and considering he has Akamaru as a requirement for a lot of his techniques, he doesn't stand a chance. Canines are extremely sensitive to sound, especially sounds that can harm a human's eardrum."

Hinata wanted to protest, but found Shino's logic to be sound. She looked on at her wild teammate as the proctor rose his hand up to prepare the signal to begin, hoping that Kiba would prove Shino wrong somehow.

"Alright..." The smoking Jounin grunted, "This is your last chance to back out. Do either of you have any objections?"

"Nope!" Was Kiba's antsy answer.

"Not at all." Dosu responded, readying the mechanism on his arm.

Hayata nodded, bringing his hand down in between them to signal them to commence the first fight.

"Then begin."


	5. Chapter 5: Chuunin Exam Prelims Pt 2

The dozens of shinobi of all different ranks and ages looked on at the two combatants in the middle of the room as they seemed to have a bit of a stand-off.

"Make the first move." Dosu challenged, "It's likely to be the last one you make."

The canine enthusiast responded with a mean smirk, "Hah, we'll see about that! You ready, Akamaru?" Kiba asked the puppy in his hood. The small dog yipped enthusiastically in response, hopping out onto the floor of the arena. Kiba then got onto all fours, surging his chakra to perform his clan's renowned ninjutsu, "Shikyaku no Jutsu!"

Kiba's fangs and canines grew in length and became as sharp as blades, transforming him to become more beast-like. Then, with a feral snarl, the beast boy charged at his opponent, aiming his claws right at his face.

Dosu shook his head and blocked his attack with his large iron gauntlet. The resulting clash made the object emit a high-pitched whine that caused a few shinobi and kunoichi in the area to flinch. Kiba and Akamaru, on the other hand growled and howled in pain once the sound waves met their ear canals, causing them to hunch over and cover their ears in a feeble attempt to alleviate the pain. Kiba screamed in agony once he felt blood pouring out of his ears, twisting and rolling on the floor.

Hayate monitored the poor genin and closed his eyes, raising his hand.

"It's been decided. Kiba Inuzuka is no longer in any condition to fight, therefor, Dosu Kinuta is the victor of the first match."

Kurenai Yuuhi, Kiba's sensei, frowned to see that her student had been defeated so easily.

 _"It's not your fault, Kiba."_ Thought Kurenai with a sigh, _"You only lost because you got paired up with the worst opponent for you."_

As Dosu returned to the stands to join the rest of the team, Kiba and Akamaru was escorted to receive medical attention.

Naruto watched as his village-mate got hauled away crossed his arms, "And to think that he used to make fun of me. I would have at least lasted longer than he did."

"Don't be so quick to assume, Naruto." Kakashi began to lecture, "Kiba had an opponent that capitalized on his weakness. Had you went against Kiba, I'm sure he'd have given you a run for your money."

"Yeah right..." Naruto said stubbornly, crossing his arms with a grumpy pout. Once the fighters from the last match were out of the arena, Hayate struggled with another coughing fit and began to announce the combatants for the next round.

"Alright, the next match will commence now. The next combatants will be..."

The screen on the wall began to flip through the names of the remaining shinobi until it stopped and displayed the next two genin fighting in the second round:

 _Karui_

 _vs._

 _Choji Akimichi_

Yugito's teammate perked up as she saw her name displayed on the monitor, "Looks like it's my turn. I'm glad I didn't have to wait too long." Karui said with a stretch of her arms. Yugito watched as Karui jumped from the balcony to stand in front of Hayate, her arms crossed as she waited for her opponent.

Choji walked over to the battle zone with a bag of chips in his hands, nervously munching on them as he approached his opponent, "H-Hey, nice to meet you..."

Karui's sharp leer eyed Choji up and down before scoffing, "My opponent is someone who can't let go of a bag of chips for a fight? Please."

"They're barbecue flavored!" Choji defended, "I gotta eat to keep my strength up!"

Karui rolled her eyes, "Sure you do, fat boy."

Choji's ear twitched.

Naruto, who was next to Yugito a few feet away, widened his eyes at what he heard from Karui's mouth, "Hey, your teammate better watch it..."

Yugito looked over at Naruto with a puzzled expression, "You think I should be worried about Karui? I think your chubby friend is the one who should quit while he's ahead."

"You don't understand." Naruto mumbled, watching as Choji's expression darkened, "What she just called Choji is taboo..."

Yugito was about to respond until she saw Choji drop his bag of chips.

"What did you just call me...?" Choji demanded with a low but hardened tone.

"I called you fat." Karui repeated, crossing her arms, "What, are you fat _and_ deaf?"

The Akimichi clan member's fists clenched tightly. He began to breathe harder and harder until...

"YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR DAMN MOUTH, YA HEAR ME?! I AM NOT FAT! I AM JUST BIG BOOONNNEEEED!"

Everyone in the area was silent. Karui stood completely in place and looked around with her eyes awkwardly, not expecting such a dramatic outburst from him.

Hayate blinked. He eyed the now furious genin with a small amount of concern before bringing his arm down in between them "Uh... on that note, if neither combatant wants to back out, the match can begin."

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" Choji declared before suddenly expanding his gut ten times its size. His limbs retracted into his clothing, including his head, and his body began to spin and accelerate at an alarming rate.

Hayate had managed to back away just in time, while Karui immediately grabbed the hilt of her sword. She looked at the large boulder known as Choji Akimichi alarmingly and cursed once his spinning form gained traction and began to come straight for her.

"Shit!" Karui cursed, jumping out of the way just in time to prevent from getting crushed. Just as she landed, she was forced to repeat this action, as Choji's human boulder form boomeranged and targeted her again.

Upon the stands, Naruto shook his head, while Yugito watched the scenes down below with utmost shock, "I told ya. This might have been an easy win for your teammate if she didn't call him fat."

"But he is kinda fat, though..." Yugito mumbled.

"Yeah, but that's not something he likes to hear."

The redhead from Kumo was forced to spend a good portion of her time on the defensive dodging Choji's attacks. Every time she'd attempt to find room for a counterattack, he'd be right on her tail, ready to crush her if she didn't move out of the way. Debris and parts of the arena flew through the air do to Choji's impact on the ground, and there were even times where she had to dodge the pieces of the arena as well.

 _"Damn... who would have thought someone so big would move so fast..."_ Karui thought before smirking, _"Looks like I have to step it up a notch."_

After jumping high in the air to avoid another boulder-like attack, Karui unsheathed her sword and gripped it tightly with both hands. The metal blade began to glow a light shade of blue and crackle with lightning. Karui swung the blade at the spinning mass known as Choji, sending a large bolt of lightning straight at him. The swordswoman hit her target, and the electricity enveloped around Choji's round body, slowing down his spinning form to a halt. As Karui landed on her feet, Choji's head and limbs returned to its previous state, and Choji's face was dazed.

Karui approached Choji, pointing the tip of her blade at his forehead, "Give up. I still have a lot of fight in me."

With Choji's semi-paralyzed state, he found that he didn't have many other alternatives, "O-Okay, I surrender..."

Hayate heard this and lifted his hand, "Karui is declared the winner of the second match."

"WHAT?!" A shrill voice was heard from the stands, "C'mon Choji, you're gonna let that bimbo beat you?!"

A sharp glare from a pair of hazel eyes was all Ino needed to immediately make her bite her tongue.

"Hey..." Choji called to the victor of the match. Karui turned to look at him, only to see him smiling weakly, "You're... actually very pretty."

As much as Karui wanted to display her disinterest, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Thanks, big boy. Did getting your ass kicked make you realize that?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"No, I was always aware... I was just scared of you." He then began laughing, "Maybe someday we'll get married and have a kid."

The redhead from Kumo shook her head with a smirk, "Maybe in some other universe. But not this one."

With that, Karui walked off to join back up with her team, while Choji was hauled away for medical attention, though many were sure his wounds were not too severe.

Yugito high-fived her teammate, "Nice job, Karui. Part of me was worried for you for a second."

"Please." Karui scoffed, "These Konoha-nin are a lot weaker than I thought. These exams are gonna be a breeze."

Naruto overheard their conversation and pointed a finger at Karui, offended at her words, "You better watch it! You better hope I don't give you a chance to show you just how wrong you are!"

Karui eyed the loud-mouthed blonde with a look full of judgement, "You talk as though you don't know what a good ass-kicking feels like."

"I'm sure he already does." Yugito chided in with a smirk. Naruto growled and was about to retort with a comeback of his own, but was cut off when Hayate announced the fighters of the next round.

 _Temari_

 _vs._

 _Ino Yamanaka_

The two blonde female kunoichi met in the center of the arena. Ino seemed to be hesitant to fight, while Temari herself looked very disinterested. The Yamanaka heiress thought about withdrawing, but refused to seem cowardly in front of her pink-haired rival watching over the stands.

Once the match began, it was over in a matter of minutes. The Suna kunoichi ultimately decided to give Ino a chance, and let her make the first move. The Yamanaka did not appreciate this, but was the first to attack regardless, throwing shuriken at her. The weapons were deflected easily, and after asking if that was all Ino had, Temari decided not to waste anymore time and used her over-sized fan to encase Ino in a whirlwind of razor sharp winds that sliced through Ino's skin, before being dropped on the Suna kunoichi's closed fan on her back. Ino was knocked out cold, declaring Temari as the winner.

Shikamaru, seeing both of his teammates get eliminated from the exams three rounds into the prelims, sighed and thought about simply withdrawing to save himself the trouble of fighting. If his sensei Asuma Sarutobi wasn't right behind him, he'd have probably went through with that notion.

"That's three Konoha genin knocked out by genin of other villages in the first three rounds." Omoi speculated, leaning over the balcony with a palm under his chin, "Maybe you're right, Karui. These Konoha-nin ain't shit."

Samui, their large-bossomed squad leader, shook her head, "Konoha hasn't really had any promising shinobi come about since the Fourth Hokage passed."

Despite being caught up in the latest edition of Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi could not help but overhear, "Let's not get carried away here." He stated without moving his eyes off of his book, "Konoha is home to many capable and promising shinobi, both before and after the Fourth's passing. I just so happen to have three of them on my squad right now."

"Yeah, that's right!" Exclaimed Naruto, "I'm gonna be Hokage someday, just you wait!"

Ignoring Naruto's outburst, Samui squinted her eyes at the cyclops Jounin, "Hm, Kakashi Hatake. Son of The White Fang. Usually I'd discredit such a bold claim, but your name pops up a lot throughout the shinobi nations."

Kakashi cooly shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I guess I should be glad my reputation proceeds me. And for the record, underestimating the strength of Konoha shinobi could be one of the most foolish things you and your students can do."

Samui eyed Kakashi up and down, her eyes still squinted at him analytically.

"Hm." Was her nonverbal response as she returned her attention back to the screen that displayed the names of the next two fighters:

 _Sakura Haruno_

 _vs._

 _Hinata Hyuuga_

Coincidentally, Sakura and Hinata were standing right beside each other. Hinata's eyes widened due to her surprise and met the gaze of her next opponent, who was looking at her with quite a bit of shock as well.

"Looks like we're up next, Hinata." Sakura told her with a small smile that calmed Hinata's growing anxieties slightly.

"Hai, it seems that way." Replied the Hyuuga princess with a smile of her own. They then began walking down to the middle of the arena together, and stopped once they were standing on either side of Hayate. Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She did her best to pretend as if she were in the academy, sparring with a classmate like she used to before receiving the rank of a genin.

"Alright Sakura-chan, you got this!" Naruto cheered on his teammate from the stands, loudly as usual.

Hinata's eyes shot open.

"Okay Hinata, let's have a good clean fight!" Encouraged Sakura, getting into position, "Don't hold back, because I won't!"

Hinata readied herself into position as well, shifting her stance into her family's renowned Taijutsu style.

"Hai." Was all that was said from the violet-haired Hyuuga.

"If neither fighter wishes to withdraw, then you may begin." Hayate declared, bringing his hand down between Naruto's crush/teammate, and Naruto's secret admirer.


	6. Chapter 6: Chuunin Exam Prelims Pt 3

As soon as Hayate finished his sentence, Hinata stepped forward and went in for the first attack. This caught Sakura off-guard, as Hinata's fighting strategy has never consisted of making the first move. Sakura had never been paired with her for sparring back when they were in the academy, but Sakura was always a major analyst. The timid Hyuuga's fighting style consisted of none other than one of Konoha's most renowned taijutsu style, The Gentle Fist. Unlike her cousin Neji, she usually relied more on using her defense as an offense. She would dodge and parry attacks until she found an opening and capitalized on waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And even then, Hinata was still hesitant to put forth an attack.

So for Hinata to set the pace of the fight like this was something that shocked pretty much anyone that knew her.

Team Seven's female member barely managed to avoid the said attack and was forced to move to avoid an open palm to her chest right after. Thinking quickly, Sakura moved in before Hinata could follow up with a third attack, and shoved her to form some space in between them. The two girls were now a few feet away, and Sakura looked at Hinata's Byakugan activated eyes. She was determined. Determined to win.

 _"I've never seen Hinata like this before..."_ Thought Sakura, getting herself back into battle position, _"She's like the complete opposite of how I remember her in the academy."_

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Sakura was hoping that Hinata's timidness and lack of fighting spirit would hinder her enough to give her the upper hand. But it didn't seem like that was going to be the case. And considering how Sakura was not a hand-to-hand combat kind of kunoichi like Hinata was, both girls knew that she was at a disadvantage.

Just as Sakura concluded that staying out of Hinata's reach would be the best plan for her, Hinata stepped forward again, lunging her palms at Sakura's torso. Sakura drew a kunai and did her best to avoid these attacks and counterattack with the sharp blade.

Tenten, who stood next to her two teammates upon the stands, watched on with intrigue, "Whoa. I thought you said that your cousin was a pushover, Neji."

Neji admitted to being a bit surprised to see Hinata's forwardness in the fight as well, "Perhaps she's finally learning what it means to take her Hyuuga heritage seriously."

On the other side of the room, Yugito and Naruto watched as Sakura did everything to avoid Hinata's attacks, even being forced to use Bunshins in a feeble attempt to confuse her.

"Not to be a downer, but I don't think your teammate is gonna win this one." Yugito told him. To her surprise, Naruto shook his head.

"No way! I believe in her." Naruto stated. His fellow Jinchuuriki eyed him down with a curious gaze. Surely he knew that Sakura didn't particularly have any sets of skills that can land her a win in the match she was in, right? Yugito doubted she would have even made it through the Forest of Death if Yugito chose to be her enemy, instead of lending her a helping hand while her teammates were out of commission.

Hinata then landed her first strike, sending a small chakra blast to one of the chakra points in Sakura's shoulder. This further proved Yugito's concerns, "I'm all for believing in your friends and comrades, but Sakura isn't doing too hot. She's pretty much against the ropes at this point."

Naruto watched as Hinata landed two more strikes onto her torso, causing the pinkette to stagger back. With Hinata striking her chakra points, it made it harder for her to use basic ninjutsu, which was the only way Sakura could pull a win against an opponent like her.

"She's right, Naruto." Said Kakashi from behind him, "One of the biggest things Sakura lacked was her means of offense. She's not adept in Taijutsu or Ninjutsu like you and Sasuke. So going against a member of the Hyuuga clan, a clan proficient in Taijutsu, Sakura won't be winning the match."

Naruto whipped his head around to his sensei, "Are you saying you don't believe in her?!"

"I'm saying that from a practical standpoint, Sakura is at a major disadvantage. It was never to say that she had no possibility in winning, but after the hits that she's taken and is currently taking, it's only making that possibility slimmer and slimmer. Especially since Hinata's Byakugan can see though most of her counters."

Naruto grunted and turned his head to see Hinata connect a four-hit combo on Sakura that sent her onto her back. His teammate's back and head hit the ground hard, and it was clear that she wasn't getting back up.

Hinata stepped out of her fighting form and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She'd been training for this day. Training so hard that her hands will be permanently scarred from the days she'd spend practicing her Taijutsu on a wooden post until her hands bled.

Sakura lied there with the taste of blood in her mouth. It was strange being attacked by The Gentle Fist. It literally made her feel as though Hinata had mechanically shut down her body movements. No matter how hard she fought to stand up, her body just wouldn't obey.

Hayate looked at the pinkette dejectedly, "Sakura Haruno is physically unable to continue, therefore, Hinata Hyuuga is declared the victor of the fourth match."

"Man..." Naruto sighed, looking at the grunting Sakura with sad eyes. He had always pictured Team Seven as a team that would all become Chuunin together. Sakura's defeat had made the possibility impossible now. He was still proud of his teammate for the effort she'd put in, though. He respected her a lot more than he already had.

Yugito watched the boy and started to feel bad, not only for him but for Sakura as well. She made a quick decision and reached over to him.

"Hey." She said in a low voice, as to not attract the attention of her teammates talking amongst themselves beside her, "I gotta tell you something."

Hinata watched as Naruto was lead further down the stands by some woman with blonde hair. Her attention was then grabbed by Sakura, who had suddenly coughed up a wad of blood, spitting it out onto the floor.

"Um, she needs a medic." Hinata told Hayate with a low voice. She hadn't really planned to go all out on Sakura like that. Hinata knew she had the advantage. She knew that she could have KO'd Sakura in a more _delicate_ manner. But when she heard Naruto cheer for her... that changed.

Guilt ran in through Hinata's core as she watched medic-nins take Sakura away. Her victory didn't feel as invigorating as she had anticipated. Sakura wasn't her enemy. She may have been her opponent, but she was never her enemy.

Naruto and Yugito stopped once they felt they were out of earshot from their teammates, "What is it?" Asked Naruto.

"I just wanted to tell you that Sakura has a lot more guts than you think." She informed him, "After you got knocked out by that Grass-nin, Sakura stepped up and did everything she could to protect you and your other teammate. And I helped."

Naruto rose his eyebrow suspiciously, "Well, from what I recall, before I had even fought that snake lady, you threatened to kill me and take my scroll!" He pointed a finger at her, "So why would I believe that?!"

"Well, yeah." Yugito said with an eye-roll, "That's the whole point of that part of the exam. Were you not listening to that Anko lady before we went in? Besides, if I really was intent on going against you, I'd have just taken the scroll from Sakura and left you all to die. But I didn't."

Naruto looked down in thought before connecting his gaze with hers, "Why would you help us then?" He asked, genuinely curious, "And why are you telling me this?"

"For starters, I just wanted to tell you that I helped you because I have respect for you and your team. You all are very noble shinobi, even if you guys aren't the most skilled." She admitted. She then grabbed a handful of the centermost part of her shirt, "And as for your other question..."

Once Hinata was back up on the stands, Kurenai held her by the shoulders and congratulated her for a job well done. Shino had even sent his own words of praise, even if they were still stoic. Fortunately, Kiba was getting medical attention from his fight, otherwise, he'd have been just as obnoxious as Naruto when expressing the joy of her victory.

But all of that went unheard as her eyes scanned the blonde woman further down the stand she stood on, talking to Naruto. She noted the kunoichi's headband and was extremely curious as to why a woman from Kumo would be speaking to him so personally.

Kurenai had taken note of Hinata's distraction. The black-haired Jounin made a mental note to talk to Hinata at her earliest convenience.

"That's... kinda like the seal I have on my stomach..." Naruto mumbled as he analyzed the seal on Yugito's mid-center. Yugito pulled her shirt back down.

"I know, and I saw yours when you were fighting that Grass-nin." She looked him in his eyes, "You have a demon spirit sealed in you just like I do, right?"

Naruto looked off in thought, "Yeah... I didn't think that there were other people like me around..."

Yugito nodded, "There are more than you think. There's another Jinchuuriki in my village as well. He's older, though. And really strong, too."

"Really?"

"Yup. I also heard some Sound-nin talking earlier, and I think that red-headed kid is one, too." Yugito pointed to the boy with raccoon eyes and a gourd on his back.

Naruto stared at the boy for an extended period of time. This was the kid that was a part of the group of Suna kids that was bullying Konohamaru just before he found out about the Chuunin exams. He noted that he seemed untouched, in the same condition as he was the last time he saw him. Just who was that kid?

The names on the overhead screen began flickering again, gaining everyone's attention.

 _Tenten_

 _vs._

 _Kin Tsuchi_

"ALRIGHT, TENTEN!" Cheered an overly enthusiastic boy with a bowl cut, "You got this!"

The dual-bunned kunoichi rolled her eyes as she prepared to step into the arena, "I'm right next to you, Lee. Geez."

On the other side of the stand, Dosu looked over at Kin, who had bandaged her wounds inflicted on her by Sakura and Yugito.

"You sure you're up to it?" He asked, "You got roughed up a bit earlier."

Kin scoffed, "Since when do you care? You and Zaku are part of the reason why I got roughed up." She put a foot upon the railing of the stand to prepare herself to join her opponent in the arena before either of her teammates could reply, "Besides, you act as though I have a choice."

Hayate watched as the other girl dropped down in front of him. Tenten and Kin eyed each other fiercely.

"If neither combatant wishes to withdraw, then begin the match."

As soon as Hayate placed his hand down and backed away, Kin launched the first attack with senbon being thrown at the other girl's body. Tenten dodged the attack, and prepared a counter-attack using a scroll that had many different weapons sealed inside it.

Karui, who was not interested in watching some Konoha and Sound weaklings battle each other, looked over to Yugito's and Naruto's location. She squinted with suspicion as she saw the pair talking amongst themselves and decided to walk over to them.

"Yugito." The Cloud kunoichi called once she was a few feet away. This earned her Yugito's attention, "A word, please."

"Uh-oh." Yugito mumbled under her breath. Naruto watched as Yugito walked over to her teammate, and saw Karui motion for them to move away from earshot.

Once they found a spot that was a good distance away from everyone, Karui turned around to look at her friend with crossed her arms, "What's all this with you talking to that Konoha brat so much? We're not here to make friends, Yugito."

"You know I like to socialize." Yugito countered innocently, "Besides, he's harmless. He was just bugging me about how he thinks Konoha is better than Kumo."

The redhead narrowed her eyes at her.

"You're lying to me." She accused, staring right into her irises, "There's something you're not telling me, Yugito."

Yugito sighed, "Alright, you got me. The truth is... I think he's cute."

Karui raised an eyebrow. She could read Yugito's body language well enough to tell that what she said wasn't a lie like the statement prior, "Cute? That annoying runt?"

Yugito shrugged, "He is a little annoying, but you can't tell me that those whisker marks of his aren't adorable."

"To each their own, I guess." Karui replied dismissively. She always did find the young Jinchuuriki to be pretty strange, "In any case, it's like I said before, we're not here to make friends and we're damn sure not here to find boyfriends. You know the Raikage isn't particularly fond of Konoha-nin specifically, and it's probably for a good reason. I'd steer clear from him if I were you."

Karui was hit with another shrug from Yugito. The blonde then grinned, "For the record, just know that I saw you flirting with that Konoha-nin you fought earlier, so you may wanna take your own advice. I never would have thought you had a thing for bigger guys."

"Wh-What?!" Karui sputtered, "I was not flirting with him! He was flirting with me!"

"Right." Her comrade replied sarcastically, turning to walk away, "I saw you laughing down there. Sounds to me like his sense of humor was something that broke through your tough exterior."

Before Karui could refute anymore of those accusations, the events down below grabbed everyone's attention. Kin was down on the ground with kunai, shuriken, and other sharp bladed objects embedded in her flesh. Tenten stood before her, placing her scrolls away. She had a grin on her face that proudly displayed her satisfaction with her victory. She felt bad slightly, seeing as she had picked up on her earlier wounds before the fight. However, she knew that her wounds weren't very debilitating, and after all, the prelims pretty much put anyone who was not in top shape prior at a disadvantage. She had used a bit of her chakra in The Forest of Death, but not much. With two taijutsu geniuses on her team, she really didn't even have much of a chance to fight anyone to begin with.

Kin groaned in pain as the dozen or so weapons impaled her. Blood was spilling practically everywhere, but Tenten made sure to avoid any major vital spots.

"Just... kill me..." Kin choked out to her suddenly, "Please..."

Tenten approached the girl with a confused expression, "Why would I do that? You already lost, I'm not going to kill you if I don't have to."

"You don't... understand..." Before Kin could finish her sentence, her low-lidded eyes had shut and her mouth hung open slightly. She had passed out, probably from blood loss.

"Kin Tsuchi is currently incapacitated, leaving Tenten as the winner of the fifth match." Hayate declared, motioning for the medic team to take care of things. As they watched the men and women in hospital garbs assist the injured, Tenten wondered what her opponent could have meant. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted, however, by a certain spandex jumpsuit wearing boy.

"YOSH! YOU DID GREAT, TENTEN! YOU HAVE MADE SQUAD NINE PROUD! YOUR DISPLAY OF FIREY YOUTH HAS GOTTEN ME ALL RILED UP!"

Tenten sighed, but smiled. Lee always meant well. But the sooner she got back up there, the faster he'd shut his mouth.

Dosu and Zaku watched as Kin was carried away. Zaku still had his two arm injuries and glared at the Uchiha that inflected them to him. Dosu, however, had won his fight. The mummy-looking Sound-nin knew that the pressure to fight against Sasuke in the next stage of the exams would be all on him now, since Zaku was not likely to win against any of the remaining shinobi. He could feel Orochimaru's gaze bearing into him. The last thing he wanted was to be in Kin's shoes, not just for her injuries, but for the punishment that awaited her.

After the stage was cleared and cleaned up, the screen began flickering once again, causing tension within the remaining eleven genin who have yet to fight. Some of those individuals had specific people they wanted to be paired against, and to some, the time that the screen took to pick the next two contestants was taking longer than it was before.

Soon enough, the next two contestants were listed on the screen. The names selected earned quite a bit of shock from a majority of the surrounding shinobi, and light chatter grew from within the large spacious room they were in...

 _Sasuke Uchiha_

 _vs._

 _Neji Hyuuga_


End file.
